Helen of Troy Limited Announces Closing of Kaz, Inc. Acquisition

EL PASO, Texas, Jan. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --

Helen of Troy Limited (Nasdaq: HELE), designer, developer and worldwide marketer of brand-name personal care and household consumer products,today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Kaz, Inc.

Based in Southborough, Massachusetts, Kaz is a world leader in providing health care and home environment consumer solutions. Kaz markets its products to leading retailers under a variety of brand names, including Vicks(R) and Braun(R) under license from The Procter & Gamble Company, Honeywell(R) under license from Honeywell, and Stinger(R), Softheat(R) and Kaz(R), owned by Kaz, Inc. Product categories include vaporizers, humidifiers, digital, infrared and non-invasive thermometers, blood pressure monitors, hot/cold health care therapy, air purifiers, seasonal humidifiers, heaters, fans, and dehumidifiers, and lawn and garden products. Kaz products are sold in the United States and throughout the world. Sales for the next twelve months ending December 31, 2011 are expected to exceed $400 million. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to Helen of Troy's earnings per share in fiscal year 2012 ending February 29, 2012.

Gerald J. Rubin, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, stated, "We are very pleased to announce the closing of the acquisition and welcome the management and employees of Kaz to Helen of Troy. Through the addition of Kaz, Helen of Troy will continue to pursue our goal of being a world class organization dedicated to serving our consumers in meeting their everyday needs. These are exciting times for Helen of Troy and we look forward to building on our traditions of success for many years to come."

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, which are subject to change. The forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any or all of the forward-looking statements may turn out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Many of these factors will be important in determining the Company's actual future results. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Actual future results may vary materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by a number of risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical or anticipated results. Generally, the words "anticipates", "estimates", "believes", "expects", "plans", "may", "will", "should", "seeks", "project", "predict", "potential", "continue", "intends" and other similar words identify forward-looking statements. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company intends its forward-looking statements to speak only as of the time of such statements, and does not undertake to update or revise them as more information becomes available. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release should be read in conjunction with, and are subject to and qualified by, the risks described in the Company's Form10-K for the year ended February28, 2010 and in our other filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to refer to the risk factors referred to above for a description of these risks. Such risks include, among others, the departure and recruitment of key personnel, the Company's ability to deliver products to our customers in a timely manner, the Company's projections of product demand, sales and net income (including the Company's guidance for Kaz's sales for 2011 and the fact that the acquisition will be accretive) are highly subjective and our future sales, net income and earnings per share could vary in a material amount from our projections, the Company's relationship with key customers and licensors, the costs of complying with the business demands and requirements of large sophisticated customers, the Company's dependence on foreign sources of supply and foreign manufacturing, the impact of changing costs of raw materials and energy on cost of goods sold and certain operating expenses, the inability to liquidate auction rate securities, circumstances that may contribute to future impairment of goodwill, intangible or other long-lived assets, the risks associated with the use of trademarks licensed from third parties, our dependence on the strength of retail economies and vulnerabilities to a prolonged economic downturn, the Company's ability to develop and introduce innovative new products to meet changing consumer preferences, disruptions in U.S. and international credit markets, exchange rate risks, expectations regarding acquisitions and the integration of acquired businesses, the Company's use of debt and the constraints it may impose, the risks associated with tax audits and related disputes with taxing authorities, potential changes in laws, including tax laws, and the Company's ability to continue to avoid classification as a controlled foreign corporation.

SOURCE Helen of Troy Limited

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Helen of Troy Ltd's business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.

Honeywell is a trademark of Honeywell International Inc., used under license by Helen of Troy Limited.
This product is distributed by Kaz USA Inc. under license from The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH, USA. The VICKS and ZZZQUIL trademarks are owned by The Procter & Gamble Company.
These products are manufactured by Kaz USA, Inc. and Kaz Europe SA under a license to the 'Braun' Trademark. 'Braun' is a registered Trademark of Braun GmbH, Kronberg, Germany.